The other day it was my friend Brianna’s birthday so we had a little dinner party and cooked some vegan foods she has been craving, one of those being mozzarella sticks! Most all recipes I found called for a vegan cheese alternative brand called Teese, but I couldn’t find it. So I bought Follow Your Heart brand despite the reservations I had about it working correctly. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love Follow Your Heart mozzarella, but I have noticed that when it’s cooked it tends to become very liquidy, something you definitely don’t want for a mozzarella stick!

In a wide shallow bowl, combine the flour, water, cornmeal, cornstarch, salt and garlic powder. This mixture should resemble pancake batter, so be sure to adjust the wet and dry ingredients if needed. In a separate wide shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs with the spices.

Slice the block of cheese into 12 even strips. Dredge the cheese in the wet mixture then into the breadcrumbs, being sure the cheese stick is fully coated, then place onto a baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes to an hour to set. Continue with the rest of the cheese strips.

In a frying pan with high sides, heat the oil for frying. The oil should be about an inch or more deep. When the oil is hot enough, carefully fry the mozzarella sticks. Depending on the pan size, fry 3 to 4 sticks at a time or the oil temperature may lower. Fry for about 2 minutes then turn and fry a few minutes more until deep golden brown.

Remove from the oil and place onto a plate lined with paper towel. Season with a little salt then move to a serving dish. Enjoy on their own or dipped in some warm marinara sauce!